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(24 posts)

Noticed strange, thick dust on cars?

Started 2 years ago by christopherboffoli
Latest reply from MargL

christopherboffoli
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I feel like my car collects more dust in the driveway of my house near the Junction than any other place I've ever lived. With all of the construction going on and the truck traffic that goes up and down Oregon the dust is a constant. Even when I open the windows a fine coat of grit accumulates on the windowsills after just a short while.

But today I noticed that there seemed to be a thicker than normal layer of dust. At first I thought it might be some kind of pollen. But then I noticed it was white/gray and not the usual green. I took my car out to get it washed and when I came home I noticed that there were still remnants of this chalky dust all over my car, despite its run through the Elephant Car Wash.

Did anyone else who lives near the Junction notice this extra heavy layer of dust in the past couple of days? Any theories as to what it might be? Did a wind shift maybe send more dust over from the cement plant or something? I suppose the fact that it is fouling our cars should be the last of our concerns considering we must be breathing this stuff too.

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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construction dust or pollen?...take you pick?

Posted 2 years ago #
miws
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Christopher, Don't know if this has anything to do with it, but I heard on a weather forecast, I believe around Tuesday, that the wind had shifted to flowing towards the west.

Mike

Posted 2 years ago #
Gina
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Ash from the Renton fire.

Posted 2 years ago #
Ken
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Just FYI.
Those of us who have lived on the east side of the cascades are familiar with the summer dust on the prevailing winds. (usually from south west to east) It appears to be a fine volcanic pumice still blowing around central WA from the Mt St Helens eruption nearly 20 years ago as well as dust from previous eruptions exposed by erosion. The windstorms south of Yakima to Tri-Cities pick up huge clouds of the stuff and throw it in various new locations every year.
The rare east to west flow might indeed be carrying some of that fine gritty powder all the way here.

I have noticed that sunrises have been especially pink for the last few days.

Posted 2 years ago #
WSratsinacage
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There are some crown vics around California and Andover that have a thick layer but that is from sitting in the same spot for months. Reporting them to the city does no good .. he/she /it just moves them then we start all over again.

Posted 2 years ago #
christopherboffoli
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The stuff doesn't seem to be fine enough to be volcanic ash. At first glance it almost looked like someone had sprinkled fine soap powder on the car. It did seem to have the granule size of pollen but it was white, not the usual chartreuse green. Is there such a thing as white pollen? And pollen would have washed off whereas this stuff left chalky residue after the run through the car wash. Weird.

Posted 2 years ago #
austin
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It almost sounds like the salt left over when seawater evaporates. Salt might be bigger than what you're describing though. Have you tried licking your car?

Posted 2 years ago #
Spud
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I live in the Junction area as well, but have not noticed this dust... I would suspect it maybe pollen from a plant around where you live...

Posted 2 years ago #
JenV
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I have a fine patina of dust on my car due to not washing it for two years. I don't think I would notice any new dust. ;)

On a serious note, CJB - be careful. Some jerk poured industrial paint remover on my brother's car - only noticeable when you wash it off, and your paint goes with it.

Posted 2 years ago #
christopherboffoli
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austin: I can't say I have that kind of relationship with my car. We're still sort of in the heavy petting stage. :-) Yours is a reasonable guess but the salt would have absolutely washed off after a run through a professional car wash.

JenV: I like your style. Maybe I should realign my priorities and view the dust as a protective layer as opposed to a constant scourge. :-) Thanks.

Posted 2 years ago #
CMP
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Well, it's that time of year for the pollen to start back up. I've lived near the Junction for six years and every summer my car turns into a sticky mess from that stuff. Whatever trees were planted along California drip with gunk from July-September and the Crown Vics are evidence of what happens when you don't wash your car. Brown Bear and Costco get a lot of business from me in the summer! I suppose that doesn't explain what you've described on your car but maybe particles are sticking to your car more easily.

Posted 2 years ago #
villagegreen
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JenV - I've got you beat. I haven't washed my car since I moved to Seattle - and that was 10 years ago. Figure that's what the rain is for, right? Probably should do something about the interior, though.

christopherboffoli - I live somewhat close to the Junction and did notice my car was covered in pollen the other morning - wasn't white, though. Kinda green and sticky.

Posted 2 years ago #
karen
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Every once in a while we get a fine dusting of stuff from the cement plant. When you get it wet it is kind of gritty and almost mud-like. You can call PSCCA and file a complaint if that's what it is.

Posted 2 years ago #
christopherboffoli
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karen: Cement dust is what it seemed like to me. Gray/white and sort of coarse, powdery granules. That wind from the west as Mike suggested might explain everything.

Posted 2 years ago #
Jiggers
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There is so much sheetrock dust being blown around with all the development going on in W.S. It's not good for your health.

Posted 2 years ago #
Aim
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There's volcanic dust in our area right now from the volcano eruption last week in Russia. It was on KOMO's website the other day due to the gorgeous sunsets it's currently causing. http://www.komonews.com/weather/blog/49549222.html I'm sure that's what it is, as it just hit our area this week.

Posted 2 years ago #
schwaggy
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I have it on my car too, near the bowling alley. I'm leaning toward ash from the Renton apartment fire

Posted 2 years ago #
christopherboffoli
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The dust didn't seem fine enough to be ash. It still seemed more like cement to me.

Posted 2 years ago #
JG
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Well, without seeing exactly what you're refering to, I can't be sure, but I think Aim nailed it. Russia's Sarychev Peak volcano blew recently and is causing our red sunsets. Its been blowing off a cloud of ash, and can when it starts settling on things these debris clouds can become cement-like. Although, I am a hazards geologist, so my first answer to things like this is volcano. Like I said, without seeing it I guess it could be anything.

Also, the International Space Station caught some great pictures of Sarychev going off.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/ISS020-E-09048_Sarychev.jpg

Posted 2 years ago #
WSB
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Thank you all for having this discussion ... we've been out post-sunset the past couple nights and noticed the amazing fluorescent pink over the northwest horizon at dusk - had no idea till checking out "how can a thread slugged 'dust on my car' amass 20 messages?" that there's a volcano to 'thank' ... and inquisitive WSBers.

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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KG..

thanks for the link. i would never have seen that on my own. no wonder it is turning our sunsets crimson.

Posted 2 years ago #
schwaggy
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I've taken a closer look and now I'm changing my tune. It does appear too fine and uniform to be ash from a fire. Whatever it is, it's a lot of gunk on the car. I didn't realize the cement plant produced this amount of dust. Is is constant from the plant and the winds changed enough to dump it in our 'hood or does the plant have the occasional release of the stuff? If it was volcanic ash, wouldn't we be seeing it over more neighborhoods...? I'm going to wash the car now since the wipers basically turned it in to goo.

Posted 2 years ago #
MargL
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I imagine the dust that's landing on cars in much the same way that rain and snow happens in this area. One neighborhood can get a ton (in this case, literally) and another neighborhood might not get any.

Posted 2 years ago #